The subject matter disclosed herein relates to industrial plants, such as power plants. The disclosed subject matter relates to the generation of oxygen and hydrogen for consumption in a power plant, such as an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant.
In general, an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant converts a fuel source into syngas (i.e., a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas) through the use of a gasifier. This product syngas may subsequently be provided to a combustor that may combust the syngas in order to drive one or more turbines. A typical IGCC gasifier may combine a fuel source (e.g., a coal slurry) with steam and oxygen to produce the syngas. Air separation units are a primary source of oxygen for IGCC plants. Typically, an IGCC plant may operate one or more air separation units that may condense compressed air at cryogenic temperatures such that the nitrogen, oxygen, and other component gases of the air may be separated. Accordingly, these air separation units generally consume a considerable quantity of energy. Furthermore, these air separation units may consume even more energy to condense and separate the compressed air during warmer periods of the day and year.
Electrolysis is a process in which an applied voltage may be used to break one or more bonds of a molecule. For example, traditional electrolysis may be used to split water molecules via an applied DC current, resulting in the collection of hydrogen at the cathode and the collection of oxygen at the anode. However, traditional liquid water electrolysis is substantially inefficient (e.g., due to competing inside reactions), consuming considerably more energy (i.e., DC current) than theoretically needed to cleave the hydrogen and oxygen bonds of the water molecules.